Wednesday, October 21, 2009

New books

I only bought one of these! The rest are for tours or reviews or, gasp, my birthday!

Small Beneath the Sky. Lorna Crozier. A memoir by a Canadian poet for a tour next month. I may find myself dipping into this one during the Readathon this weekend.

Howards End is On the Landing. Susan Hill. The one I bought. I preordered it back in July. I'm hoping it will provide encouragement next year when I really need to read from home, instead of buying books at a merry clip. Because if we move for my husband's new job (he's got employment!), I going to need to weed what I already own anyway.

Things We Didn't See Coming. Steven Amsterdam. A galley of nine connected stories set in a dystopian world. I'm trying to wait until closer to the publication date before I dive in, but I'm really looking forward to starting this collection.

The Greatest Show on Earth. Richard Dawkins. A birthday present. Dawkins was in town last week, but I didn't learn he was coming until after tickets were sold out. Bummer.

The Year of the Flood. Margaret Atwood. Another birthday present.

Wolf Hall. Hilary Mantel. I won this from Frances at Nonsuch Book. Thank you, Frances! I'm a huge Mantel fan and I'm glad she won the Booker.

Kaethe, I hope so! He was one of the first hired at the new DB in Cary, just a contract position starting out, though, but I should start being down your way in the next few weeks to check out his per diem digs. And I'll have to eat while I'm there, right?

Diane, glad you won a copy, too! Lisa, I'm dying to read the Mantel as well, but it's so big and I'm a little afraid it's going to be like her French Revolution book--meaning I'm going to have trouble following it if I'm not careful. I want a dedicated chunk of time to devote to it.

The Atwood is already on my shelves, and Wolf Hall is en route. My TBR pile finally got so overwhelming (again!) that Mr. M-mv bought me another bookcase. Every book is now filed, and space was left for those I preordered (e.g., the new Tyler and Irving). After those arrive, though (and, yes, I know I've said this before), I must limit myself to books purchased with gift cards and associate earnings. It's such a simple way to cut back, and I already own more than I could read in two lifetimes. I've got to get real, especially since we had to buy a new car months earlier than I had hoped. We're also planning/saving for a family vacation in San Diego (when Master graduates boot). So... I must. stop. buying. books.

That said, the review copy of short stories on your pile looks great. Let us know how it is.

did you ever have a familyby bill clegg
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The "family" titles are where I decided to begin my reading for the (Wo)Man Booker Shadow Panel, and Did You Ever Have a Family first because, I must admit, ...